Typewriter print control



Juhe 1963 J. L. MORELLI ETAL 3,095,079

TYPEWRITER PRINT CONTROL Filed Aug. 4, 1961 INVENTORS JOSEPH L. MORELLI FREDERICK A. BRIGNOLE JR. LLOYD E. i-SIRE MM M) ATTORNEYS June 25, 1963 Filed Aug. 4, 1961 J. L. MORELLI ETAL TYPEWRITER PRINT CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet g n IIIIIIIII-IIIIII' ,0) will! INVENTORS JOSEPH L. MORELLI v FREDERICK A. BRIGNOLE JR. LLOYD E. HA

BY M.

44. wagg m RNEYS 3,095,079 Patented June 25, 1963 3,095,079 TYPEWRITER PRINT CONTRGL Joseph L. Morelli, Hartford, Frederick A. Briguole, .lrx, Granhy, and Lloyd E. Hare, Hartford, Conn, assignors to Royal McBee Corporation, Port Chester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 4, 1961, Ser. N 129,327 15 Claims. (ill. 197-1S3) This invention relates to a novel means for automatically varying the ringcylinder clearance or" a typewriter in accordance with the variations in thickness of the record sheets operatively positioned in the carriage, and more particularly relates to a novel banking ring arrangement which is automatically shifted to different operative positions in response to different thicknesses of the paper inserted in the typewriter carriage.

Most conventional typewriters are provided with what is commonly referred to as an operational ring-cylinder clearance, i.e. the type face of any of the type bars is located a predetermined distance from the printing plane of the cylinder or platen when the forward edge of the bar engages the banking ring. The dimculty which is commonly encountered in this type of arrangement is that as the number of record sheets inserted in machine increases the effective ring-cylinder clearance decreases which in turn reduces the quality of print work obtained. Where an attempted correction is made in the nominal ring-cylinder clearance to accommodate varying numbers of record sheets it is found that the center bars of the machine require a different amount of positional correction than do the end bars. A further difliculty here is that the ring-cylinder requirements for the machine change when a case shift operation occurs. The prior attempts to overcome these difiiculties have not always been entirely satisfactory in that these devices were either too expensive to be practical, were not reliable and edicient in operation, and/ or required frequent manual adjustments.

One object of the instant invention is to provide novel means tor automatically adjusting the operative position of a typewriter banking ring in accordance with the number of record sheets operatively supported by the platen of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for sensing the total thickness of the record sheets operatively disposed in a typewriter and for correspondingly changing the limits of the type bar motion in accordance with the sensed thickness of the record sheets.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel ring-cylinder clearance adjusting means by providing a banking ring which is movable relative to the type bars and/or platen and whose operative position relative to the type bars and/or platen is automatically changed in accordance with the case shift condition of the typewriter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a banking ring which is movable relative to the typewriter segment, and also a means for sensing the thickness of a pack of record sheets that is operatively supported by the machine platen, the sensing means being operatively arranged to automatically control the efifective position for the banking ring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel mounting means for permitting shifting of the operative position of a typewriter banking ring relative to the machine type bars and/ or platen whereby any given shift in said operative position of said banking ring has a greater operative effect on the end bars of the machine as compared to the operative effect produced on the center bars.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the instant adj usta-b-le banking ring and related parts.

FIGURES 2 and 3 are side elevational views of the apparatus of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the banking ring and control linkage.

FIGURES 5 and 6 are enlarged fragmentary sectional side elevational views showing the conditions of several of the instant parts when the typewriter is conditioned for lower and upper case typing respectively.

Unless otherwise indicated it will be assumed that the various conventional type parts shown in the instant drawings are constructed, supported and operated in a manner similar to that for the corresponding parts of the electric typewriter currently being produced and marketed by the Royal McBee Corporation.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 there is shown a cylindrical platen 10 which is rotatably mounted in a carriage 11 that is mounted on the machine frame 12 for the usual transverse letter feeding movement. The carriage 11 is provided with a conventional type paper pan 13, paper feed rolls 14 and feed roll supporting and actuating means 15 and 16. immediately below and generally in front of the platen N is a slotted segment 17 which is adapted to pivotally support a normal complement of type bars, only one of these type bars being shown in section in FIGURE 1. A type guide 18 is operatively secured to segment 17.

In conventional typewriters the slotted segment, such as 17, is provided with an arcuately extending banking ring which the type bars are adapted to strike during their respective printing strokes. The position of this banking ring relative to the position of the platen (other factors being fixed) determines the ling-cylinder clearance of the machine as is well understood in the art and in that this banking ring is usually fixed relative to the segment no adjustment can be made in this part of the machine to accommodate varying numbers of superimposed record sheets that are operatively placed in the carriage. The instant apparatus is provided with a banking ring 20 that is mounted for movement relative to the segment 17 as will now be described. The lower rearward portion of the segment 17 has a pair of shoulders 21, 22 in which are respectively operatively mounted pins 23- and 24 that are disposed along a common axis that is substantially parallel to the axis of the cylinder or platen It A banking ring supporting bail 25, FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, is pivotally mounted on said pins 23 and 24 and is provided with two studs 26 and 27 which respectively extend forwardly through suitable apertures formed in the said segment 17; the aperture 39 for stud 27 being best illustrated in FIGURE 4. The banking ring 20 is secured to the stud end portions which protrude beyond the forward face of segment 17 and is thus capable of partaking of a swinging movement about the axis of said bail supporting pins 23 and 24. The upper end of banking ring 20 is formed with two fingers 31 and 32 in which are mounted adjustable set screws 33 and 34 having abutment heads 35 and 36 respectively. Said screw heads are respectively adapted to engage the forward faces of a pair of similar transparent members 49 and 41 which have concave rearward surfaces adapted to engage the record sheets supported by said platen 10. The members 40 and 41 are mounted on the upper end of a cantilevered bridge or hearing plate 42, the lower end of which is fixed secured to the machine frame by means of screws 43. The plate 42 is made sufiiciently resilient to permit a slight amount of flexures near the lower portion 44 thereof, this flexing action here serving to normally lightly bias the record sheet engaging members 40 and 4-1 towards the front face of the platen as illustrated in- FIGURE 2. A pair of symmetrically disposed coil springs 45 and 46 are operatively disposed between the segment 17 and the forward face of the banking ring bail 25 so as to lightly bias said screw heads 35, 36 into engagement with said members 40, 41 which in turn lightly bear against the record sheets and/or the platen 10. When the instant typewriter is conditioned for typing lower case characters the screw heads 35 and 36 will respectively engage said members 40, 41 at points Stl and '51, FIGURES 4 and 5, just above the slight projections 52 and 53 formed on said members, as illustrated best in FIGURE 5. When the typewriter is conditioned to type upper case characters said screw heads 35 and 36 in being shifted downwardly with the segment 17 will now engage said projections 52 and 53, as best illustrated in FIGURE 6, and together with the banking ring 20 will be thereby shifted forwardly to a'slight extent.

In the operation of the instant apparatus when several record sheets are rolled into operative position in the carriage'as illustrated in FIGURE 3 the record engaging and sensing members 46 and 41 will be forwardly displaced to an extent determined by the number of sheets so inserted, this slight movement away from the front of the platen 10 being permitted by the fiexure of said lower portion 44 of the plate 42. As the movement of members 40 and 41 thus senses the number of record sheets present the banking ring 20 and its supporting bail 25, through the screws 33, 34 will be swung forwardly a predetermined distance about .the aXis of the bail supporting pins 23 and 24. The parts are constructed and arranged so that the extent of this predetermined forward swinging movement of the bankin ring 20 is just sufiicient to properly adjust the ring-cylinder clearance to accommodate the particular number of record sheets present in the machine. As will be apparent as the number of record sheets increases and decreases the ring-cylinder clearance respectively increases and decreases accordingly so that the amount of flexure or Whip of the various type bars during their typing actions is always that which will produce a sharp printed character on the top sheet of the record pack. It will be noted that for a given angular pivotal movement of the banking ring 29 and hail different points on the arcuate banking ring will partake of different linear displacements in that these points are located at varying distances from the pivot axis of said pins 23 and 24. Thus when a given number of record sheets are rolled into the machine and sensed by the record sheet engaging members 40, 41, the resultant shifting of the operative position of the banking ring 20 will produce a greater ring-cylinder correction for the end bars than for the center bars of the typewriter. This action corresponds to the inherent ting-cylinder needs and 0perational characteristics of the bars of basket type machines. By means of the above described apparatus and the operational ieatures thereof a typist may insert a single record sheet or a varying number of record sheets into the machine and the proper ring-cylinder clearance is automatically set so that a substantially uniform intensity and clarity of typed characters will result on the original and carbon copy record sheets. During normal typing operations the successive impact loads caused by the various type bars striking the banking ring 20 are transferred through the screw heads and 36 and the record sheet engaging members 40 and 41 to the platen. The relatively large members 40 and 41 will distribute these impact loads over and through a wide area of the record sheets so that any resultant unit pressures against the record sheets are far below that required to produce an ink transfer by any of the carbon paper present in the pack of record sheets. Also the transparency of 4 members 4% and 41 permit the unobstructed viewing of the typed material.

When the typewriter is shifted to an upper case condition the segment '17 in being lowered as above described will through the projections. 52, 53 cammingly cooperating with said screw heads 35 and 36 and will shift the operative position of the banking ring as illustrated in FIGURE 6 thereby altering the ring-cylinder clearance so as to more efficiently accommodate the typing of upper case characters which are usually larger in efiective facial area than the corresponding lower case characters.

Prolonged tests indicate that the instant apparatus insures a very superior print work control and has a very long maintenance free life.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration only and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a typewriter having a movable cylinder for operatively supporting variable numbers of superimposed record sheets, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said cylinder and record sheets, and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means mounting said banking ring for movement to different operative posit ons so as to vary the ring-cylinder clearance of the machine, and resilient means adapted to engage the record sheets 'for shifting the operative position of said banking ring in accordance with the cumulative thickness of the record sheets supported by said cylinder.

2. In a typewriter having a movable cylinder for oper-atively supporting variable numbers of superimposed record sheets, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said cylinder and record sheets, and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means mounting said banking ring for movement to different operative positions so as to vary the ring-cylinder clearance of the machine, sensing means for sensing the cumulative thickness of the record sheets supported by said cylinder, and means conditioned by the operation of said sensing means for determining the operative position of said banking ring.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 2; additionally comprising means for shifting the operative position of said banking ring in response to a case shift operation of the typewriter.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 wherein said banking ring is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis which is disposed substantially parallel to the axis of said cylinder whereby for a given pivotal shift movement of said banking ring a greater change in the ring-cylinder clearance is created for the end bars of the machine than is created for the center bars.

5. In a typewriter having a movable cylinder for operatively supporting variable numbers of superimposed record sheets, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said cylinder and record sheets, and :a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means for supporting said banking ring for movement relative to said type bars, and means adapted to bear against said record sheets and cylinder for limiting the movement of said banking ring in a direction toward said cylinder and for transferring at least a portion of the impact loads of said type bars against said banking ring to said cylinder.

6. Apparatus as defined by claim 5 wherein the last mentioned means includes a plate means supported at its lower end on the machine frame and at its upper end by the said cylinder, and wherein the banking ring supporting means abuts against a portion of said last mentioned means.

7. In a typewriter having a movable cylinder for operatively supporting variable numbers of superimposed rec- 0rd sheets, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said cylinder and record sheets, and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means mounting said banking ring for movement to different operative positions relative to said cylinder so as to thereby vary the ringcylinder clearance of themachine, record sensing means adapted to be engaged and displaced by the top one of said record sheets, and means for shifting the operative position of said banking ring in response to a displacement of said sensing means so as to adjust the ringcylinder clearance in accordance with the cumulative thickness of the record sheets supported by said cylinder.

8. In a typewriter having a movable platen adapted to operatively support a plurality of record sheets in print receiving positions, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said platen and record sheets, a segment .and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means mounting said banking ring for movement to different operative positions relative to the typewriter segment so as to vary the ring-cylinder clearance for various numbers of said record sheets, means for sensing the number of record sheets operatively supported by said platen, and means operated by the sensing means for moving said banking ring to an operative position corresponding to the particular sensed number of said record sheets supported in print receiving positions on said platen.

9. In a typewriter having a movable platen adapted to operatively support a plurality of superimposed record sheets in print receiving positions, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said platen and record sheets, and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising means mounting said banking ring for movement to dif- =ferent operative positions relative to said platen, plate means mounted on the machine frame and having a portion which is adapted to engage the top one of said record sheets, abutment means on said plate means, said abutment means being constructed and arranged so as to determine the operative position of said banking ring.

10. Apparatus as defined by claim 9 wherein the lower portion of said plate means is connected to the machine firame and the upper portion is adapted to be biased into engagement with said top record sheet, and means to bias said banking ring into engagement with said abutment means, said abutment means being located on said plate means at a point intermediate the said upper and lower plate means portions so as to maintain the upper end of said plate means in sensing engagement with said top record sheet whereby said banking ring is maintained in an operative position determined by the number of record sheets supported by said platen.

11. In a typewriter having a movable platen adapted to operatively support a plurality of record sheets in print receiving positions, a plurality of type bars pivotally mounted for selective printing movement towards said platen and record sheets, and a banking ring adapted to be engaged by said type bars during their respective printing strokes; the improvement comprising a first support means having a lower end mounted on the machine frame and a free movable upper end which is adapted to move into engagement with the top one of said record sheets, a second support means mounting said banking ring for movement relative to said type bars so as to vary the ring-platen clearance for different numbers of record sheets operatively supported by said platen, abutment means on said first support means between said upper and lower ends, and means for biasing said first and second support means so as to move said blanking ring into engagement with said abutment means and to move said upper end of said first support means into sensing engagement with the said top record sheet whereby said banking ring is automatically operatively positioned relative to said type bars and platen so as to thereby oreate the proper ring-cylinder clearance for the particular number of record sheets supported by said platen.

12. Apparatus as defined by claim 11 wherein said second support means are mounted for pivotal movement about an axis which is substantially parallel to the axis of said platen.

13. Apparatus as defined by claim 11; additionally comprising a second abutment means on said first support means for altering the ring-cylinderclearance in response to a case shift operation of the typewriter.

14. In a typewriter, a frame, a movable platen adapted to operatively support a plurality of superimposed record sheets in print receiving positions, a segment operatively supported in said frame, .a banking ring swingab-ly mounted on said segment, adjustable contact screws mounted on said banking ring, arm means having a lower end which is mounted on said frame and movable upper ends which are adapted to be supported by said platen, the intermediate region of said ar-m means having a set of abutment surfaces which are arranged to be engaged by the inner ends of said contact screws, and means for yieldably biasing said banking ring so that said contact screws engage said abutment surfaces and the upper end of said arm means are biased into engagement with the top record sheet whereby the said banking ring is properly positioned and supported as determined by the number of record sheets operatively supported by said platen.

15. Apparatus as defined by claim 14; additionally comprising a second set of abutment surfaces on said arm means which are operative to alter the ring-cylinder clearance of the machine in response to a case shift operation of the typewriter, said banking ring being mounted on said segment for pivotal movement about an axis that is substantially parallel to the axis of said platen whereby a given shift in the operative position of said banking ring has a greater effect on the ring-cylinder clearance for the end bars than on the center bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,020 'Corcoran Mar. 28, 1916 2,901,080 Zeamer Aug. 25, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 251,661 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1948 

1. IN A TYPEWRITER HAVING A MOVABLE CYLINDER FOR OPERATIVELY SUPPORTING VARIABLE NUMBERS OF SUPERIMPOSED RECORD SHEETS, A PLURALITY OF TYPE BARS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR SELECTIVE PRINTING MOVEMENT TOWARDS SAID CYLINDER AND RECORD SHEETS, AND A BANKING RING ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID TYPE BARS DURING THEIR RESPECTIVE PRINTING STROKES; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS MOUNTING SAID BANKING RING FOR MOVEMENT TO DIFFERENT OPERATIVE POSITIONS SO AS TO VARY THE RING-CYLINDER CLEARANCE OF THE MACHINE, AND RESILIENT MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE RECORD SHEETS FOR SHIFTING THE OPERATIVE POSITION OF SAID BANKING RING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CUMULATIVE THICKNESS OF THE RECORD SHEETS SUPPORTED BY SAID CYLINDER. 